We Had It Pretty Good at TWA...

As somebody who cut their first elite teeth at TWA....

I miss the airline. I think we as elites had it pretty good there versus the treatment at some other carriers. Now that my travel no longer involves St. Louis, I can't be saddened every couple of weeks at the empty concourses.

Just thinking about this as I found my old "TWA Comes to Omaha" button.

My favorite award on TWA: 50K miles for a first class international ticket plus a companion first class upgrade. I could spend a few hundred dollars for a coach ticket, and two of us sit in the front - while one earned miles toward a subsequent trip.

My last international trip on TWA was in 1997. We were flying into Milan, when the FA came to me, took me by the hand, and told me that Princess Diana had just died. The pilot had gotten word over the radio.

I spent 10 years happily flying on TWA. Their award program rocked, and the ticket agents in San Diego always made sure I sat up front.

That award has to be the all time best FF award ever. I was lucky enough to cash in and use that award over 10 times. I saw the world on on TW in FIRST CLASS when FIRST CLASS was something special. I miss TWA and their wonderful employess on a daily basis.

Happy Travels

That Lambert field is pretty sad, at least in the empty D concourse. A far cry from the old days when the place bustled with connecting traffic.

I too started frequent business travel from STL, beginning in 1990.
Remember flying into C concourse on a Friday p.m.
Place so crowded you could hardly walk in a strait line.
Two Ambassadors Clubs @ STL.

Moved to CVG (i.e. DL) in Jan 1994, just after getting my red card from TW.


I was in STL a few months ago with a lot of time to spare.
Walked from the East Terminal to the Main.

Saw a plaque on the wall half-way through the darkened D concourse.
It was the dedication plaque from St. Louis to the employees of Ozark Airlines commemorating the opening of the D concourse.

Great airline, great people. Flying on AA just isn't the same. Miss the free upgrades, miss all the non-stops from STL, miss the 757s into SNA, miss not being treated like a number, and miss the liquor mini's in F.

My first TW flights were Connies, my last a L-1011. Ex-TWA folks, we all wish you happy holidays and a prosperous and healthy 2006 - and we still think about ya!

Other good things about that award:
1) YOu could use the second half for yourself on another trip.
2) On a 3-class plane, you got a double upgrade - from coach, past Ambassador class, to first class.

Try doing something similar to TLV or CAI now, and you will probably spend at least 200,000 miles (plus no double upgrade).

If you miss the free upgrades .. maybe you had best become EXP on AA then .. that is AA's top tier and we get complimentary domestic (Canada, Caribbean and Central America) upgrades. I'm assuming only top-tier TWA fliers got this too?!

AA still uses liquor minis in first .. just they pour them into the glasses normally! Some FAs will do a 'backup' for my second scotch .. with a mini.

I am sick and tired of the TWA 757s that American inherited. The seats (yes recovered) are horribly uncomfortable. I also think TWA bought the cheapest PA system and insulation on the MD 83s .. I can NEVER hear the FA/Pilots in-flight annoucements and the cabin wind noise (in my comp EXP upgraded seat) is FAR louder than the AA planes.

I cannot comment about the non-stops to any city from STL. I know AA has re-done the schedule (and closed one terminal) ... in some cases I would blame Jet Blue (Southwest) for the competition on some routes rather than AA.

The TWA Phoenix Bird will NOT rise from the ashes and re-hire all the former employees. Yea I agree the whole 'acquisition/merger' issue stank .. but then again .. so did the attitude of most of the STL staff. On the week before the 'reductions' in STL staff a couple years back .. I was on a STL-MSP flight (wow MD83 then) .. and the FA thanked us for flying TWA LLC a member of the American Airlines family. Vindictive and unhelpful until the very end.

No, for the most part, TWs FF upgrades worked more like CO and NW. Free upgrades for all elites, though it might have changed for the lowest level of elite in the final year or two. 100 hours for top tier (and a free companion), 72 hours for mid-tier ($75 to upgrade a companion) and 24 hours for the lowest tier. Free at time of booking for all tiers on full-fare tickets, I believe. Also, much expanded award availability for top tier elites (maybe even no restrictions/capacity limitations), I don't remember...

The ex-TW 757s are much better than the AA ones IMO. Much better IFO, like the F seats better, plus two real exit rows in Y with tons of legroom (row 7 and 26, I think)

JetBlue doesn't fly to STL. SW does, but they don't fly to London, Paris, Honolulu, Maui, several cities in Mexico, Toronto, Vancouver, etc...along with dozens of cities that were either cut of severely reduced. Only recently did STL-LGA return to all mainline service...

You can look up the old twa.com site through www.archive.org. I was looking through the Aviators brochure the other day at the elite qualification and it looked like a great system. I started flying in the Ozark days, then TWA, and now AA - but TWA was out of business before I ever had the annual miles to be elite.

One thing that seemed really nice was that you could make each of the elite levels on spending (5k,10k,20k - I believe) in addition to the mileage. So someone who flew infrequently but bought premium fares would still be rewarded for their business.

Anyway, I'll miss TWA. I really enjoy flying the TWA 757s that AA inherited. Their F cabins are much nicer than the filthy, old AA 757s.

My first elite status ever was achieved on TWA because of the $5,000 spending threshold and some expensive weekly commutes between STL and ATL. Those were good times indeed!

Yup :0

I wonder how many STL agents lost their jobs as a result of the AA purchase?